20 Years and Counting

Today is my 20th anniversary. It is hard to believe I made it this far. I was married in 1992 at the ripe "old" age of seventeen. Definitely too young to be married, I agree. Such a big commitment is difficult for older couples but exceptionally so for a teenager. The expectations of marriage and the reality rarely match. That is hard for anyone but at seventeen it is doubly hard because you are still at an age where every little disappointment is the end of the world. ( Remember all the teen drama).

My daughter was born before my first anniversary. She was the most beautiful, precious thing I'd ever laid eyes on but life was not so good at the time. My husband was recovering from an auto accident, we were living with his parents, and I was deeply depressed. Not exactly the ideal environment for a new baby. The stress of having no income while at the same time adjusting to parenthood in someone else's home was overwhelming. Those were some hard times but we moved forward.

Less than two years later, my oldest son was born. We still had very little income but atleast we had our own place. Granted it was tiny and not in the best condition but it was ours. The following years were filled with many challenges that we sometimes faced head on and other times we attempted to turn our back on them. Those were the worst because the problems we tried to avoid were the ones that kept coming back.

Since then, we have moved three times and had another son. Each move was an upgrade from the last. Our children are healthy, safe and happy. I myself have gone from high school drop out to college graduate and have tried be make myself better everyday. My husband has attained a better position that has provided us with enough income to live better than when we started. Although our lives are not perfect or even ideal, we are a family. We love each other, we support each other, and most of all we strive to make it even better everyday.

So here's to twenty years of getting better everyday. I hope for many more years of the same. Who knows, at this rate , in twenty more years we may be too good to be true.